Lightning Strike or near miss?

Nodak7

Nodak7

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Sep 28, 2008
1,256
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
Instruments E120/E80 (Classic) MFD's
We had a bad storm last night and had some near miss lightning strikes. This morning my MFD's show no instrument readings or Radar Scanner. The GPS works and I have not had an opportunity to check the auto-pilot. Can anyone suggest where to start looking to identify the problem. I saw no wiring problems. However I checked the seatalk interfaces and it looks like there is no communications (light not flashing/no light at all). Could it have tripped a breaker or blown a fuse some place? Can anyone give me a suggestion please as to where to start looking? :cry:



I am not really certain if it was a direct strike or near miss. There is no physical damage that I can find. However my anchor light now trips the breaker and one of the interior lights will no longer work. However everything else seems to be fine. It just seems odd since my boat was unplugged from shore power and up on a lift. Any suggestions




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HernandoBeacher

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Dec 5, 2009
80
Hunter 36 Hernando Beach, FL
Were any other instruments on the boat affected, VHF, air conditioner? When my H36 was struck it came in through the VHF antenna and found it's way through the 12 volt negative side.
 
Nodak7

Nodak7

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Sep 28, 2008
1,256
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
HernandoBeacher said:
Were any other instruments on the boat affected, VHF, air conditioner? When my H36 was struck it came in through the VHF antenna and found it's way through the 12 volt negative side.
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Herando, the VHF appears to work fine as does most everything other than that one lamp and the anchor light. AC still works good. All the instruments appear to be affected. But the MFD's work good. It is almost like there is no power to the SeaTalk Interfaces.
 
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scotmcpherson

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Jun 24, 2014
74
Kayaks for now, oday coming soon 13 Waterford, CT
Nodak7 said:
Herando, the VHF appears to work fine as does most everything other than that one lamp and the anchor light. AC still works good. All the instruments appear to be affected. But the MFD's work good. It is almost like there is no power to the SeaTalk Interfaces.
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Well that's the thing with power surges, you never know where they'll go or what they'll affect.

A faraday cage can mitigate field surge when lightening strikes, but it can still get through a line sometimes.
 
Velero49

Velero49

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Jun 4, 2004
292
Hunter 49 123
Nodak7,

Call your insurance company, they will send a surveyor to check the damage. I was hit many years ago and they cover the damage ($3K). Most of it was replacing the electronics - the wiring most often is ok. My VHF antenna exploded like a fire cracker. The insurance company told my to haul the boat as the current can/will blowout depth/speed sensor. I was at Pelican Bay/Cayo Costa and we had wicked winds but not much lighting. After dropping the boat at Safe Cove drove home to Cape Coral and saw the lighting on the radar and was a little worried but the boat was ok this morning. Good luck!!
 
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ice breaker

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Sep 11, 2011
428
Hunter 41AC Bayfield WI, Lake Superior
Sorry to hear about the lightning. So how are those batteries holding up.......would you do 3 banks again?
 
Nodak7

Nodak7

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Sep 28, 2008
1,256
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
ice breaker said:
Sorry to hear about the lightning. So how are those batteries holding up.......would you do 3 banks again?
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Awesome Icebreaker. I wish I had made that conversion much earlier. It has made a big difference in our operational capabilities. I will never go back to those big bulky 12v batteries again. I recommend them to everyone that asks.

Hopefully I can get this lightning strike problem taken care of quickly.
 
Nodak7

Nodak7

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Sep 28, 2008
1,256
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
Velero49 said:
Nodak7,

Call your insurance company, they will send a surveyor to check the damage. I was hit many years ago and they cover the damage ($3K). Most of it was replacing the electronics - the wiring most often is ok. My VHF antenna exploded like a fire cracker. The insurance company told my to haul the boat as the current can/will blowout depth/speed sensor. I was at Pelican Bay/Cayo Costa and we had wicked winds but not much lighting. After dropping the boat at Safe Cove drove home to Cape Coral and saw the lighting on the radar and was a little worried but the boat was ok this morning. Good luck!!
Click to expand
Thanks Velero. We were just in Don Pedro this past weekend. Weathered a big storm on the way there and then again when we were at anchor. Typical September weather I guess.
From what I see the top of the mast looks fine but I have not climbed it to check it out either. I do have to change/repair the anchor light though. Hopefully the instrumentation will not be a difficult fix. I have a guy coming today to look at it.
 
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HernandoBeacher

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Dec 5, 2009
80
Hunter 36 Hernando Beach, FL
All good advice on this thread. I was very happy with my insurance company and having the boat pulled confirmed the lightning strike and exit point. I found the VHF antenna in my yard but didn't realize what it was until I looked up at the top of the mast. The VHF cable looked like a grilled hotdog for the first three feet. Obviously, all wiring in the mast was changed.

The Raymarine components that were toasted seemed random. C80 and wind instruments were fine but ST-60+ autopilot control head, computer, and drive unit needed replacement.

The strike was several years ago and I haven't discovered any further issues. i wish you good luck on your boat.

Rod
 

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